


My Dearest

by slotumn



Series: Wherever the Wind May Take Us [13]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Bittersweet, Character Study, F/M, Ficlet, Introspection, Post-Golden Deer Route (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), no beta we die like Glenn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:48:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22988158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slotumn/pseuds/slotumn
Summary: He won't be a hundred percent satisfied, because nobody can be satisfied witheverything. He'll probably have regrets and feel bad about "abandoning important duties." Perhaps others will see him as irresponsible and foolish and cowardly.He'll regret it even more if he gives up on her.A.K.A. The exact moment Claude decides to abdicate.
Relationships: Lysithea von Ordelia/Claude von Riegan
Series: Wherever the Wind May Take Us [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1593274
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9
Collections: Slotumn Portfolio





	My Dearest

In a dusty, leather-bound journal, there are two sentences in his teenage self wrote.

"I want to die, but if I die, they'll win."

and

"I won't go so far as to ask for love, but please stop hating me."

It still hurts to read, even after nearly ten years.

Ten years.

A lot has changed since then-- he's gained a lot of fancy titles and responsibilities, and the world is becoming something that won't make any other child write such sentences.

And being a king and building a better future is important. He's worked, fought, bled for it all his life. He would like nothing more than to do that, alongside--

\--marrying the love of his life, having a family, raising kids, growing old together, and so many other things he wants as Claude, just Claude, not a leader or a monarch or a hero.

It would be ideal to have both. He so dearly wishes he could.

But if he can't, then the side of him that comes from the woman who crossed the border to be with her love, the side of him that comes from the man who proudly married the enemy's daughter despite the protests, knows which one to choose.

The boy who just wanted to love and be loved knows which one to choose.

He won't be a hundred percent satisfied, because nobody can be satisfied with _everything_. He'll probably have regrets and feel bad about "abandoning important duties." Perhaps others will see him as irresponsible and foolish and cowardly.

He'll regret it even more if he gives up on her.

So he touches the tip of the pen to pages that haven't seen ink in years, and writes,

"Whatever anyone else thinks, I won't give up."

and

"I will go as far as I must for the love I found."

**Author's Note:**

> Q: Which parts of Claude/Lysithea do you like best?  
> A: The parts I can fill in with quick ficlets like these. 
> 
> I'll write the marriage proposal and rejection part one day. Really.
> 
> Title is from the supercell song, which I think is very appropriate for these two.


End file.
